Be Prepared to Protect the Safety, Health, and Welfare of the Workplace

Protecting the safety, health, and welfare of those in the workplace is a huge responsibility. More and more companies recognize that, beyond OSHA laws, they have a moral obligation to make sure they offer the highest degree of safety for their workers.
Such an obligation requires employers to hire individuals with the fundamental knowledge in safety, health, and environmental (SHE) applied sciences to manage their SHE risks. This acknowledgement along with an aging SHE professional workforce has
created a tremendous need for SHE professionals.

As a BS in
safety, health, and environmental applied sciences major, you’ll graduate with real-world experience gained from your internship as well as participation in the summer cooperative education program. This experience will give you the opportunity to
apply the fundamental knowledge you’ve learned in the classroom and laboratories and also gain valuable insight into engineering, systems analysis, management, human relations, and communications.

Why Safety Sciences?

Accidents, fires, explosions, and health-threatening conditions are extremely costly for individuals, organizations, and the entire nation. The good news is that, according to OSHA, workplace fatalities and occupational injuries have declined dramatically
since 1970. The bad news is that we still average over 4,500 workplace fatalities a year. These numbers, combined with an increasing awareness of environmental hazards, are why corporations recognize the value that SHE professionals bring to their
organizations.

The World Needs Safety Sciences Majors

The Department of Safety Sciences has been in the forefront of safety education since its establishment in 1971, and has seen an explosion (the good kind!) in the need for SHE professionals.

Expected Outcomes With a Bachelor’s Degree in Safety Sciences

In the past 40 years, more than 2,500 men and women have graduated from the Safety Sciences Department. Their careers cover a variety of industries, such as chemicals, construction, steel, consulting, insurance, and manufacturing. Employment placement
rates range from 75 to 90 percent. Here’s why our placement rate is so high:

Experienced Professionals Make Great Teachers

“Professor Laura Rhodes is very hands-on and easy to talk to. She has her own consulting firm, Safety Geeks, and she’s very knowledgeable about insurance loss control and OSHA. She’s also the sponsor for our Ladies of Safety student organization.”

You’ll be well prepared to recognize fundamental aspects of SHE; anticipate, identify, and evaluate potentially hazardous agents, conditions and practices so you can develop control designs and procedures; and more.

You’ll work in the field, both through your internship and through the co-op education program to gain real-world experience.

You’ll attend a dedicated Career Fair at IUP that is exclusively for safety sciences students. This fair averages over 45 employers, with many students receiving internship, coop, and full-time job offers following the event.

The IUP difference

Safety Sciences faculty. More than 20 faculty members bring a broad range of experience in industries such as insurance, oil, chemicals,
energy, mining, steel, consulting, and manufacturing. With real-world experience, along with SHE professional certifications, our faculty create a tremendous learning environment for our students.

Curriculum. The Safety Sciences curriculum is rigorous, with a strong background required in math and sciences as well as the SHE disciplines.
The SHE applied sciences curriculum has five classes that include laboratories providing students with hands-on experience. The program also requires an internship, which enables the student to apply fundamental SHE knowledge.

PA OSHA Consultation
Program. Since 1983, the Safety Sciences Department has been the officially designated agency in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for providing occupational and health consultative services made available through federal regulations.
This program helps private-sector employers in the commonwealth to understand and voluntarily comply with applicable safety/health regulations enforced by OSHA.